A lack of real-world case studies is one of the major barriers behind manufacturers not investing in Industrial Internet pilot projects according to one industry leader Proof of concepts undertaken for IIoT related systems increased in 2017 and are likely to ramp up in 2018 and 2019 image courtesy of Depositphotos There has been a wide range of isolated Industrial IoT initiatives products and test cases demonstrating some of the benefits of adoption however these have for the most part been undertaken by or in partnership with large multinationals and or research institutions For your prototypical manufacturing SME there is still a great deal of uncertainty around what the Industrial Internet represents how it might positively and negatively impact operations and most importantly how those all-important first steps can be taken towards adoption The Manufacturer recently sat down with John Fryer senior director of industry solutions for global fault tolerant computer servers and software company Stratus Technologies who noted that the biggest hurdle manufacturers are struggling to overcome is defining the return on investment If a manufacturer was to invest in new kit add a multitude of sensors integrate the software what kind of returns are they going to achieve Thats not an easy question to answer as no two businesses are the same Fryer said We are trapped in a bit of a cycle A lack of real-world case studies means businesses are cautious to invest If investments arent made exploration projects dont happen and empirical evidence isnt produced and shared and so on Proof of concepts undertaken for Industrial IoT related systems increased in 2017 and are likely to ramp up in 2018 and 2019 However mainstream adoption isnt likely to happen until 2021 at the earliest he predicted There is a desire from manufacturers in almost every sector to move in that direction so that timeframe could potentially be compressed should more case studies be published and shared The decision to invest in an IIoT pilot project isnt just made by engineers its a business decision made by board-level management image courtesy of Depositphotos Its important to remember that this isnt just a decision made by engineers its a business decision made by board-level management Those are the people who have to be educated people whose decisions are largely based around money either coming off or being added to the bottom-line Secrecy versus sharing Yet isnt there a conflict between the market needing successful adopters to share their Industrial IoT roadmap and the tangible benefits realised and those early adopters understandably wanting to keep what is likely to be held as real competitive advantages close to their chests Not necessarily said Fryer rather it could be a case of a rising tide lifting all ships Raw data is the gold inside of your organisation That data is whats particular to what you do so the fact that youve used it to perform analytics and drive efficiencies is absolutely something you can disclose The real specifics of what youve done to make that happen will always be proprietary and will always be yours If manufacturers can realise that and start to make that distinction then sharing what youve done becomes far easier because youre not giving away the crown jewels Rather just the fact that youve applied some machine learning and asset performance management in areas X Y and Z youve saved X amount of dollars and are X-times more efficient The specifics of how you achieved that is your secret sauce